Clare Rojas, Wayfinder: San Jose Museum of Art | San Jose, CA

Wayfinder: Clare Rojas is a public art project that encourages visitors to explore the heart of downtown San José. Commissioned by SJMA, 40 streetlight banners designed by Rojas in shades of pink, magenta, and lavender are installed along South Market and West San Carlos Streets. Each banner features a cascade of stylized blackbirds that tumble and shapeshift into abstract, beguiling forms. In the artist’s work, blackbirds appear as omens from the supernatural world. Imbued with mysticism and magic, they caution against hubris and take shape as talismans for luck, protection, and freedom.

Launched in 2021 with the work of San Francisco–based artist Clare Rojas, Wayfinder is a new commissioning program by SJMA that invites Bay Area artists to design streetlight banners for temporary display in downtown San José. The series offers pedestrians, commuters, residents, and Museum visitors continuous access to contemporary art as part of SJMA’s overarching goal to become a borderless museum, essential to creative life throughout the diverse communities of San José and Silicon Valley. Wayfinder reimagines existing streetlight banner infrastructure as a venue for temporary public art, enlivening city streets with cutting-edge art and design.

— Curatorial text courtesy of the San Jose Museum of Art